Ernest Renshaw

Ernest was the older of the Renshaw-brothers by 15 minutes and half an inch taller.

Although Ernest Renshaw was not as successful in securing titles as his younger brother William, he still was a player of the top rank who more than made his mark.

In 1888, he won the Wimbledon Singles Championship. Had his brother not been such a prodigious champion, Ernest might well have won a good many more big titles. William defeated Ernest in three Wimbledon finals. In any event, the brothers Renshaw volleyed more frequently and effectively than their rivals and became the dominant team of their era.

Together with his twin brother William, he won the men's doubles at Wimbledon five times. He won the singles title at the Irish Championships on four occasions (1883, 1887, 1888, 1892).

The boom in popularity of the game during the 1880s due to the modern tennis style of the Renshaw brothers became known as the 'Renshaw Rush'.

He died of the effects of carbolic acid but whether taken intentionally or not the evidence did not show.

In 1983,Ernest Renshaw was elected posthumously into the International Tennis Hall of Fame together with his brother.